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Sourav Ganguly and Lou Vincent were much talked about on the final day of the Ahmedabad Test. Ganguly, for letting things drift and being unable to force a win; Vincent, for his mastery of the conditions and the Indian spinners. Here’s what they had to say:Sourav Ganguly
On India’s bowling performance: I thought we bowled pretty well. The pitch got slower and slower as the game progressed, and there was notmuch help for the bowlers. I thought they tried very hard.On the surface: It’s the responsibility of the BCCI pitches committeeto prepare wickets accordingly, which they have not done here.On the pressure on India at Mohali: I thought we dominated them here, so there won’t be too much pressure. It will be a different surface inMohali, and if we can put up the runs on the board, we should win. But to win the series, we have to win there, so that’s the bottomline.On his groin infection: The infection has not healed very much, but it isbetter than on the first day. We’ll have to wait for a couple of days to see.On why he started off proceedings on the fourth daywith Kumble and Balaji: There wasn’t much for the spinners, and I thoughtBalaji bowled well in this Test. He had gotten RobbieHart the night before and had troubled Paul Wiseman afew times. He brought the ball into the batsman too. Ithought he bowled well and was unlucky not to getwickets.On the playing XI for Mohali: Playing five specialist bowlers is definitely a thought. With Ajit Agarkar coming in for the injuredAavishkar Salvi, we can afford that. But we’ll have towait and see the pitch before decidingLou Vincent
On his innings: In the morning it was a pretty tough situation. Indiahad 18 overs at us last night and went all out to get a few wickets. After Zaheer Khan performed well in the first innings and took three early wickets, it wasimportant for somebody to hang in there and see the shine off the ball. I was surprised to see Mark Richardson go, because he had been in good form forNew Zealand.If we’d had a good couple of sessions, wecould have set up a good chase in the final hour orso, but things didn’t turn out that way. As you couldprobably have seen, I was gutted to get out. I wasdisappointed to miss out on a century.On the wicket:It was pretty flat, although the footmarks weregetting rather nasty by the time the game ended. It’smy first Test in India, and I don’t know much aboutpitches here. It had both spin and bounce, though, andin my limited experience, I thought it was a good Test wicket.On perceived friction between Anil Kumble and StephenFleming on the field: I didn’t see any, from where I was, but it’s alwayslike a war out there. If, from a spectator’s point ofview, I saw the teams applauding each other’s runs andwickets, I’d think: “What are the wallies doing?”On New Zealand’s strategy for the Mohali Test: Well, we’ll have to see. Right now, we’re just happy to get through this little battle. We lost only fivewickets in the final day to two world-class spinners, so we’re pretty happy about that.On the heat: Ah, I don’t know how you Indians live here! It’s souncomfortable! But as professional athletes who playso much in Asia, it’s important to adjust and be ableto perform regardless of the conditions.

Paul Strang: ‘It seems you have to be a ‘yes man’ and be a puppet on a string to play for the ZCU’© Getty Images

Less than 48 hours after it was revealed that Bryan Strang had been banned from playing domestic cricket by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU), it has emerged that Paul, his older brother, has also been overlooked by his provincial side in rather strange circumstances.Paul Strang played 24 Tests and 95 one-dayers for Zimbabwe between 1994 and 2001. Although Manicaland gave no reason for his being dropped last season, he has little doubt what was behind their decision.”I wasn’t given a reason, but when I was head of the players’ association I had been very vocal about various aspects of the game I believed to be wrong, including the quotas system," he told BBC Sport. “It seems you have to be a ‘yes man’ and be a puppet on a string to play for the ZCU. They don’t seem to apply the normal parameters for selection, but use other things than a player’s statistics."Former Zimbabwe fast bowler Henry Olonga, who now lives in the UK after fleeing his homeland following his black-armband protest during last year’s World Cup, agreed with Strang’s view. “According to the ZCU, they are an apolitical organisation, but the way they deal with any players who have shown any form of dissent is not consistent with that,” he explained to BBC Sport. "I made my comments and I got censured. All sorts of things happened to me after I took my stance. Many players who have had the freedom to speak their minds about what’s happened in Zimbabwe very often find themselves ostracised.”The Zimbabwe Cricket Union has declined to comment on the situation regarding the Strangs.

Give away a bonus point, offer a team a berth in a finals series, and evidently media criticism, a small crowd, and an eight wicket hiding is all that New Zealand receives by way of thanks. Or at least that’s the way it seems after South Africa’s batsmen, bowlers and fielders all savaged the Black Caps to open up a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three VB Series deciders in Melbourne tonight.It had lost three of its four previous matches against South Africa in the series and won only one of its last 16 games against the Proteas overall.And, today, New Zealand never really looked in the game either.Lopsided as the contest may have been, though, there was plenty to appreciate in the performances of a number of the South Africans. The bowlingof Makhaya Ntini (5/31) was outstanding; Shaun Pollock (1/30) and Lance Klusener (2/27) were also consistently threatening; and then BoetaDippenaar (79*) and Jacques Kallis (59*) led not so much a chase of a victory target of 191 as a saunter.The New Zealanders (the targets of criticism on both sides of the Tasman over recent days for their decision to give away a bonus point to SouthAfrica in their previous match) had the opportunity to tilt the scales their way when captain Stephen Fleming enjoyed a victory at the toss.But, while that outcome killed any prospect that they would be forced to chase another big South African total, it only hastened the emergence offurther problems at the top of the New Zealand batting order.Even before falling to early catches behind the wicket in the midst of Ntini’s sizzling opening spell, openers Nathan Astle (9) and Lou Vincent (7)played with uncertainty. Only 15 runs were added in a first wicket partnership that extended a dismal run for the New Zealanders at the top of theorder across the series as a whole.Craig McMillan (73) and Fleming (50) rebuilt the innings with a partnership of 109 runs for the third wicket. But their stand was blessed more bypatience than by power and there was never a real flow about New Zealand’s exhibition.As the strain of needing to accelerate the run scoring rate eventually impacted upon them, the Black Caps lost their way. Fleming, Andre Adams(13), Dion Nash (9) and Chris Cairns (0) all hit catches into the leg side while ambitiously attacking; McMillan and Shane Bond (1) badly misjudgedsingles to be run out; and Chris Harris (9) and Adam Parore (2) feathered from outside edges to the ‘keeper.Ntini rattled batsmen into error at both ends of the innings; Klusener collected two wickets in an over; and Pollock’s trademark awareness ofnear-perfect line and length meant he was always at the batsmen.Nevertheless, there was no great venom in the pitch and a number of the New Zealanders’ wounds were self-inflicted.They would have learnt a lesson about measured batting if they had closely watched Gary Kirsten (25) and Herschelle Gibbs (24) assemble theirthird half-century stand of the series in reply. Or Dippenaar and Kallis in their unbroken, risk-averse union of 139 runs.Once the two openers had weathered the new ball threat posed by Bond (0/21) and seen Nash (0/6) succumb to an abdominal muscle strain after only oneover, the result was never in doubt.Kirsten fell to a run out verdict that was unlucky on two counts – given that it was caused by a deflection back on to the stumps from bowlerMcMillan and that several replays were needed before it could be assumed that the veteran left hander’s bat had merely reached rather thantraversed the line of his crease as a bail was lifted.But Dippenaar then looked contrastingly lucky to survive a caught behind decision as he drove inside the line of a Cairns (1/27) leg cutter with hisscore at just 6. With the New Zealanders needing even so much as half-chances to translate themselves into wickets, it was a decision thateliminated even the last signs of activity from a flickering pulse.Dippenaar, who has been due good fortune all tour, was later dropped in the gully when he aimed a powerful cut toward Fleming with his total at40. He capitalised on the two reprieves with magnificent driving to both sides of the wicket and disdainful punishment of short deliveries with someglorious horizontal-bat strokes.Kallis, ever-composed, assisted in the cause in no small measure at the other end.A crowd of only 20671 arrived all the while, producing the spectacle of vast banks of empty seats on a fine and sunny day and at least challengingthe contention that sports-loving Melburnians will turn up in their droves to watch any international game.With no bonus points on offer to help spark a contest, what the patrons saw was a remorseless performance.

In a repeat of the semifinal clash last season, Karnataka took onHyderabad in the South Zone Ranji Trophy league match at the MChinnaswamy Stadium at Bangalore. The one big change was MohammedAzharuddin missing in the visiting side. As it turned out though, itwas the home side batting out in the middle. Youngsters Mithun Beeralaand Barrington Rowland batted well and helped Karnataka post 279/4 atstumps.At the end of 15 overs, Arun Kumar (28) became the first Karnatakabatsman to fall, caught at gully by left arm spinner Venkatapathy Rajuoff the bowling of Parth Satwalkar. Beerala and Barrington then forgedthe most successful partnership of the day, posting 106 runs for thesecond wicket. Beerala and Barrington matched each other shot forshot. While Beerala made 73 (158 balls, 8 fours, 1 six), Barringtonhit 70 (150 balls, 8 fours).If two youngsters ruled the roost for Karnataka, it took two Hyderabadveterans to stop them. Off spinner Kanwaljit Singh had Barringtoncaught at short leg while Raju snapped up Beerala caught and bowled.One Day hopeful Vijay Bharadwaj (43 not out) held one end up tillstumps even as One-Day discard Sujit Somasunder (43) became KanwaljitSingh’s second victim. Stumper Tilak Naidu (13 not out) kept Bharadwajcompany as Karnataka ended on a healthy 279/4.

Celtic appeared to hold all the cards in their pursuit of John McGinn back in 2018, with the 27-year-old being a boyhood fan of the Hoops, and the Bhoys very much having the inside track on English teams regarding the then-Hibernian maestro.

However, the club ultimately failed to get a deal over the line for the midfielder, with Aston Villa instead going on to seal a £3m swoop for him.

Since then, McGinn has gone from strength to strength at Villa, scoring seven goals and registering 10 assists over his promotion to the Premier League, before establishing himself as a crucial component of the Villans’ midfield in the top flight.

Indeed, the £70k-p/w Scotland international earned an impressive seasonal SofaScore rating of 6.95 in his debut Premier League campaign in 2019/20, improving on this score over his 37 top-flight outings last season as he earned a rating of 6.99 in 2020/21.

However, it has been over McGinn’s 24 league fixtures this season that the 27-year-old has truly proven himself as one of the most talented midfielders in the division. He has scored three goals, registered two assists and created four big chances for his team-mates, along with averaging 1.5 key passes, 0.9 interceptions and three tackles and winning seven duels per game.

These returns have seen the player who Steven Gerrard dubbed “outstanding” average a remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.29, not only ranking him as Villa’s second-best performer in the Premier League but also as the 16th-best player in the entire division.

As such, it is not difficult to understand why Villa are apparently demanding a fee in the region of £50m to even consider parting with the midfielder this summer, with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool reported to be interested in the Glasgow-born sensation.

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Indeed, all of the above highlights just how much of a nightmare Celtic had when failing to cough up a mere £3m in 2018 for a player who Dean Smith dubbed a “star”, as the Bhoys not only missed out on an exceptionally talented footballer but also a potentially massive payday.

AND in other news: Ange could unearth a £71m talent in 16 y/o Celtic “killer” who’s heading “to the top”

	Wavell Hinds will not feature for Derbyshire this season © Getty Images

Five foreign players, each of whom applied to join counties as Kolpaks, have been refused registration by the ECB. Wavell Hinds (Derbyshire), Johan van der Wath (Northamptonshire), Andrew Hall (Northamptonshire), Hamish Marshall (Gloucestershire) and Justin Kemp (Kent) – who coincidentally are all signed-up members of the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL) – will play no part for their respective counties all season.The situation is muddied by the Kolpak issue. Any cricketer who has played cricket (domestic or international) in another country 12 months prior to their Kolpak application can be turned away, at the ECB’s discretion. But in recent years, this stipulation has been waived several times, which has led to a number of counties expanding their squads with experienced internationals and former internationals. Now, however, with the ICL alive and kicking, the ECB has chosen not to exercise its discretion, which could be seen as sanctioning an event not officially recognised by the ICC.”We are obviously very disappointed that Wavell will be unable to join us this season,” Tom Sears, Derbyshire’s chief executive, said. “While we support the ECB’s stance on unsanctioned events we can fully understand why Wavell has accepted the Indian Cricket League offer.”Now we have a definitive decision we can turn our attention to securing a replacement and we can assure our members and supporters that we have the resources to compete for the very best players that are available.””It was something we expected and has been on the cards for a few days now,” Mark Tagg, Northamptonshire’s chief executive, told Cricinfo.The ICL signings have caused confusion for weeks. The county circuit has two captains who are also part of the ICL – Dale Benkenstein (Durham) and Nicky Boje (Northamptonshire) – but they are expected to play because they are already registered and no retrospective action will be taken by the ECB.

‘No coach had mentioned even in passing that my attitude was not correct’ – Tendulkar © AFP

In a statement that is likely to have a large bearing on the immediate future of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that India’s cricketers would be most disappointed with Greg Chappell, the coach, if he questioned their attitude.In a rare public outburst, Tendulkar, not known to air his views on controversial issues, expressed his anguish. ” (Things have gone a bit too far to keep quiet). I’ve given my heart and my soul for 17 years. No coach had mentioned even in passing that my attitude was not correct,” Tendulkar told . “Cricket has been my life for all these years and will always be.”His statements come in the wake of reports that many members in the team have rallied together against Chappell and Dravid and want Tendulkar to take up their case to the board. Cricinfo had reported on the crisis in the team , one largely owing to the rift between Chappell and the senior players, and Tendulkar’s statements reinforce the players’ stance.”Tell me, the world has gone on talking about all this [our defeat and exit] but has anybody spared a thought for us?,” asked an emotional Tendulkar. “Did they try to find out what we have been going through?

I am shattered beyond words and I feel helpless. I’ve never felt so bad in my entire career … The World Cup was our passion, our collective goal, our dream and that has been shattered

“I am shattered beyond words and I feel helpless. I’ve never felt so bad in my entire career.” he said. “No matter how many Tests or one-day series you win, nothing else even comes close to a World Cup triumph. The World Cup was our passion, our collective goal, our dream and that has been shattered. And we all are terribly disappointed over it.”Tendulkar took responsibility for the World Cup debacle but responded to what he perceived as a slight to his commitment. “Again, it’s not that we are defending ourselves. We do realise that we played badly and, as a team, we take full responsibility for that. But what hurt us most is if the coach has questioned our attitude.”The Indian board’s working committee meets on April 7, following the meeting of the review committee the day before. It is expected that Chappell’s report, due to be submitted to the board before April 6, will be scathing in its criticism of the attitude of the senior players including Sourav Ganguly, Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh. The working committee meeting will be attended by BCCI’s office-bearers and seven former captains, including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri and S Venkatraghavan.

Click here to let us know your viewsThe ICC has dismissed suggestions by Matthew Engel in Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack that it is putting money ahead of other considerations.Referring to the recent challenge to authority of the ICC by the Indian board, Engel wrote that it was time someone stepped up as “the ICC’s entrepreneurialrole is damaging its regulatory one. There was a crucial symbolic change when its web address switched from .org to .com. It constantly now has to refer to its own financial interests – exacerbated by the fraught TV deal with the Global Cricket Corporation, which expires in 2007 – rather than the good of cricket, which should be its only concern.”But Brian Murgatroyd, the ICC’s media manager, told the BBC that the ICC was not a profit-making organisation and plouged income back into its 96 member countries, but he admitted it still needed to be careful. “There’s always a balance to be found between on the one hand making sure we safeguard the future of the game, while at the same time ensuring we look after that future by maximising revenue.”We’re acutely conscious of the need to protect the heritage of the game, but we have to ensure any events we put on earn revenue, which we’re able to pass on to our members. That’s our rationale – to ensure the health of the game worldwide.”Murgatroyd also defended an attack on the Champions Trophy, which Engel described as “yet another ugly-looking [tournament], to the delight only of TV channels with more airtime than content.”He said that the competition was being altered. “It’s gone through a few facelifts and we feel we’re getting closer to an appropriate format. The profits that the ICC make from that tournament are going to be ploughed back into the game – it benefits cricket for that tournament to take place. It’s a very worthy event.”

Houston will have to wait to watch Shahid Afridi launch balls into orbit © Getty Images

A three-match exhibition series in Houston, featuring leading players from India and Pakistan, has had to be postponed after organisers failed to arrange for visas for several Pakistani players. The games had been scheduled for June 16, 18 and 19, and Hasan Jalil, the main organiser, told that the contests between an Asian XI and a World XI would most likely be slotted in between June 30 and July 3, a long weekend in the United States.Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh were among the stars signed up from India, while Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Yousuf Youhana had pledged their participation from Pakistan.”We are disappointed that because of this last-minute hitch in getting visas for the Pakistani players, the matches have to be rescheduled,” said Jalil. “We will now try to secure visas for the Pakistani players from Islamabad. There is no such problem with the Indian players as they have visas for the US.”

Pakistan v India – buy your tickets here

A Pakistani employee of Cricinfo prints out different ticket designs for the forthcoming Pakistan-India series. Cricinfo are handling online ticket sales

As India prepare to tour Pakistan for the first time in 14 years, the Pakistan Cricket Board has responded to the massive demand for tickets by launching an online service for customers all round the world, and already it has generated a massive response.The initiative, in partnership with Wisden Cricinfo, resulted in 700 sales on the first night alone, with fans preparing to fly in from Britain and the USA, as well as more exotic locations such as Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.The Pakistan Cricket Board intends to allocate a fifth of all stadium seats to Indian supporters, but they do not intend to segregate the fans and their online service is open to allcomers. The first of five one-day internationals kicks off in Karachi on March 13, and will be followed by three Tests at Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan.To order your tickets online, click here.